A Memorandum of Understanding between FISU and UNESCO is being finalised ©FISU

A memorandum of understanding is being prepared between the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Vincent Defourny, the director of the UNESCO Geneva Liaison Office, visited the FISU headquarters in Lausanne to finalise the deal.

Both organisations have had a strong relationship since the first staging of the International Day of University Sport in 2016.

They have worked together on initiatives including the FISU Healthy Campus Programme, which aims to encourage physical activity and positive lifestyles at universities across the world.

The Fit for Life programme, a UNESCO scheme designed to accelerate COVID-19 recovery and enhance the wellbeing of youth, is another area where the organisations have found common ground.

The FISU Healthy Campus project has helped to bond the two organisations together ©FISU
The FISU Healthy Campus project has helped to bond the two organisations together ©FISU

Both parties are now set to work together at the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference in Barcelona next year.

FISU and the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean will jointly organise an event to highlight the role of sport and physical activity in enhancing the well-being of students and the quality of campus life.

This will include presentations on the Healthy Campus and Fit for Life schemes, while advice will be given to the organisers of the 2022 FISU World Forum in Costa Rica.